Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart
by Patsuko
Summary: This is a fan version of the cancelled Hey Arnold Movie, TJM. The story starts where Arnold is now in the fifth grade. It's been months since the map was found and he gets the chance of a lifetime. The class thinks this is just a simple adventure into the jungles of Central America, little did they know Arnold had a secret agenda of his own.
1. Chapter One: Anguish

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter 1

"Aw man! I can't believe the sixth graders beat us again! This is the third time in a row!" Gerald complained as he picked up his bat.

Arnold dragged himself to the small bleachers to sit down. Helga stomped toward him.

"What happened out there Hair boy?! You could have easily caught the ball. Criminy! That was the second miss and it cost us the game!" She scowled with a menacing look.

"Yeah Arnold. How could you miss the ball? It landed RIGHT in front of you!" Sid yelled gesturing wildly at Arnold's spot on the field.

As the kids walked off huffing and complaining, Harold let out one last insult.

"Looooooser!"

Helga swung her bat over her shoulder and stomped out of Gerald Field with the rest of the gang with her own typical insult. Arnold, who really wasn't paying much attention to the kids' insults, just sat like a lump on an old log. Gerald stared at Arnold knowing something wasn't right. He slowly walked toward his best friend giving him a concerned look.

"Hey Arnold. You ok? I noticed for the past couple days you haven't been yourself." He said taking a seat beside him. Arnold didn't say a word. There was only a few seconds of silence from the two ten year olds, until Gerald decided to leave Arnold to ponder about whatever might be wrong.

"I understand if you don't want to talk about it." Gerald stood up again and managed to take a few steps before Arnold broke his silence.

"Oh…Ughh... Sorry Gerald.. I just have a lot on my mind right now. I'll be fine" the lamenting Arnold slowly stood up still rubbing where the ball hit him in the shoulder.

"I'll tell you later. It's getting late and I'm sure Grandma and Grandpa are wondering where I am."

"Are you sure Arnold?"

"I'm sure." He said giving a fake smile.

"Okay man." Arnold trailed beside Gerald. The boys proceeded to Arnold's house and continued to talk about various things about what happened at school.

When they arrived they heard the sound of Jolly Olly man approaching fast.

"Want to go get some ice cream real fast? I'm sure you'll feel a little better." Gerald suggested.

"No thanks. I'm going to head inside. Arnold's forlorn mood was more obvious than Stinky's love for Lemon pudding. The thoughts he had earlier during the game crept up on him again.

"If you ever feel like talking, just let me know." He encouraged Arnold. Arnold smiled a little. The two did their signature thumb shake and went their separate ways.

Gerald observed him slowly dragging his feet up the stairs. Gerald bought his ice cream and watched as his friend's mood saddened each step he took. His best friend couldn't help wondering why Arnold was acting strange, but turned around and head back toward his house. _'Maybe he's sick or something. Maybe leaving him alone is the best medicine. I'm sure he'll come around tomorrow' _He thought as he slowly reached his street.

Arnold opened the door to the old brick boarding house. As usual, various cats and dogs poured out of the door. Arnold shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen, only to be greeted by his eccentric, but lovable grandfather.

"Heyyy Shortman! How was schooool?" He said welcoming Arnold. The ten year old didn't make any eye contact with his paternal grandfather. "Sooo….how did the big game go with the fifth graders today?" Grandpa said generally happy. Arnold sighed and laid his large head on his palm.

"We lost."

"You lost? What the Sam Hill happened?" He sat down taking a bite of his herring sandwich.

"I didn't pay much attention in the last half. I was...just lost in my thoughts I guess…We were tied and…I missed the ball, but the side of my arm didn't." He grunted as he rubbed that small bruise on his upper arm.

"What were you thinking about? Did something bad happen?" Grandpa Phil suspicions grew in the last few weeks. He knew his grandson wasn't really himself.

Arnold rubbed his head.

Phil knew when Arnold stayed silent.

"Uh oh. Sounds like a like young Arnold's got another one of his complex labyrinthine conundrums of a boyhood problem. What is it this time Arnold?" He said waving his sandwich around.

"..It's nothing Grandpa…I'm just really not in the mood to talk about it right now." He yammered.

"Arnold I'm your grandpa, you can talk to me about anything. Don't leave me hangin'!" He spoke in a cheerful tone to lift up his grandson's attitude. Unfortunately, this time it didn't work.

"I just have these questions about something. They've been bothering me lately, but I know we've talked about it before already. Anyway I think I'll go to bed a little early tonight. Night Grandma. Night Grandpa." Arnold scooted his chair out and got off walking in the direction of the stairs. 

"But your grandma's cooking fish tonight! It's not everyday Pookie whips up some good ol' fried catfish!" He yelled trying to get Arnold to come back.

"No thanks. I'm not hungry." His disheartened mood was almost infectious. Arnold dragged himself up the stairs. As he shuts the door, Arnold plopped onto his bed and rolled onto his back staring at the ceiling. So many thoughts ran through his head.

It was about an hour before Phil decided to try again and figure out what made his beloved grandson so depressed. Arnold didn't hear the echo of the footsteps that were creeping closer toward door. He was looking at a picture of his parents that resided in his drawer beside his bed.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Arnold?" Grandpa Phil spoke as he trudged through Arnold's door and then toward his bed.

"No. I just want to get some sleep." He placed the old picture back into its respectful place and out of others sights.

Arnold's Grandpa decided that maybe rest is the best thing for him right now and patted Arnold's shoulder.

"Alright . You need anything just let me or your grandma know, night Arnold!" Phil stood back up and approached the exit to Arnold's room and shut the door heading back down to eat his dinner. Arnold ran his fingers down his father's journal and tucked his hand under his head.

Phil had a gut feeling that Arnold was thinking about his parents, but didn't say anything as proceeded down the creaky stairs.

As the night progressed, he showered, brushed his teeth, and changed into his pajamas. The exhaustion of today's events took over and Arnold finally went to sleep.


	2. Chapter Two: The Contest

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter 2

"Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey Arnold! Hey-" Arnold groaned as he turned off his potato clock and rolled over. Despite a long rest, those thoughts were still fresh in his mind. He hesitated to get up as he had to prepare for another long boring day of school.

"I wish it was Saturday…" He said reluctantly as he slowly slumped out of bed and got dressed for school. He looked in the direction of his desk and saw his father's journal. He seemed puzzled.

"I though I had it on my bed with me last night." He walked over to glance at it.

"…Grandpa.." He said with a sleepy tone. He reached for the clothes he already laid out. He wore his normal light colored blue jeans with a teal shirt and his favorite red plaid shirt on the outside with rolled up sleeves. He stared into the bulletin board that was covered in photos of his parents and brochures of San Lorenzo. He lowered his head and gazed at the tattered journal again.

He reached for it and held it in his hands. The history of his parents filled this old book and he treasured it as much as his hat. _'I want to read it again, but why? Even though I feel lonely, I still want to read it again. Maybe I should take it with me today..'_ Shortly after, Arnold made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen with his books in tow.

"Morning Arnold! How ya feeling?" Grandpa said grabbing the other half of his herring sandwich out of the fridge. Arnold sat there staring at his grandpa.

"I still feel the same.." He said with very little emotion. Grandpa placed his wrist on Arnold's forehead.

"Still not feeling well, shortman? Maybe you should go back to bed."

Grandma appeared with a spatula of hot pancakes and plopped them onto Arnold's plate. Arnold's eyes followed the tawny pancakes as they fell in front of him.

"Pookie, watch it with that hot spatula. You could poke an eye out with that." He said as if it happened all the time.

"Thanks Grandma…" he said taking a few bites from his breakfast.

"No grandpa I'm alright. It's just that I really don't feel like going to school today."

"Why is that? You get to go and see all your friends like Gerald and your weird little friend with the one eyebrow. And who knows? Maybe you'll get extra time recess or something." Grandpa took a bite out of his fishy delight as he sat in the chair beside Arnold.

"I know. It's just.. never mind Grandpa. I feel a little better. Maybe I was just really hungry." He stopped eating and left a few remnants of the pancakes on the plate.

"Bye Grandma and Grandpa, I'll see you after school" Arnold stated as he walked out the door. Grandpa started to feel troubled by Arnold's disheartenment.

"Ok Arnold.."

Arnold left the stoops of the boarding house only to run into Gerald. It took him a minute to notice his best friend waiting for him.

"Oh. H-hi Gerald."

Gerald looked at his bland expression.

"Hey man…feeling better?" He asked.

"Yeah I guess…We need to hurry if we are going to make class before the bell." The two walked fast and entered their classroom. Arnold, as usual, grabbed a seat by the window. Gerald took the seat beside him and began to talk to Sid and Stinky to pass the time. As the rest of the kids took their seats, their old fourth grade teacher Mr. Simmons, decided to move up a grade and is now a fifth grade teacher. The balding man walks in with a rather large geography book along with a small light brown briefcase.

"Hello class!" He says cheerfully. The class was hardly responsive.

"Hello Mr. Simmons.."

"Today, we are going to start off giving out our math tests. Most of the class did really well!" He passed out the tests. Some of the student groaned while others cheered.

"I got a C! I ACTUALLY GOT A C ON MY MATH TEST!" Harold yelled.

"Yeah right pink boy and I'm Mary queen of Scotts…" Helga retaliated. She was only met with a glare.

"I really did Helga." He said grumpily into her face, "If you say that I'm dumb again, I'm gonna pound you!"

"I'd like to see you try you big oaf-" Helga willingly shouted back as she was shaking her balled up fist ready to pulverize him, only to be interrupted just in the nick of time.

"Harold and Helga please calm down. It's time for school to start." He began to ruffle through his briefcase for his lesson plan for the day.

"Now class, we were going to start on our poem assignments, but instead we are going to continue our studies on Central America! Lately we have been learning the different countries and cultures that reside within the Central Americas. So, for the next week that's what we will focus on!" The class moaned. Arnold could only look on in silent heartache. All he could think about was the whereabouts of his parents lost in the unforgiving and hardly touched jungle that make up much of the Central Americas. By some small amount of hope, are they alive? If they are why was there no contact since his first birthday? Were they long gone along with all the answers? Did they succumb to the inescapable dangers hidden within the cryptic rainforests? These thoughts continue to plague the wistful ten year old.

"We are going to start off by exploring the deep jungles that inhabit San Lorenzo and Costa Rica. It is one of the most bio-diverse region in the world! You are going to make your own diorama showing at least three different kinds of animals and 3 different kinds of plants that are found in this region! We will work on these until lunch." Mr. Simmons's said vivaciously. Most of the class cheered over this seemingly more fun project.

"I do have a small homework assignment to get ourselves ready for the test we'll have at the end of the month."

"Oh darn, I left the homework in the folder back at home…" He said under his breath.

Arnold 's anguished state didn't go unnoticed. Helga seemed to be the only one to see that her beloved was buried deep in sorrow. _'Oh Arnold. What sorrow you must be feeling. If only I knew the poisonous arrow that has pierced my love's bleeding heart.' _Helga could only stare in anguish alongside with him as she gripped the gold locket hidden within her solid pink dress glazed with a red stripe. Arnold was too deep in thought to hardly notice anyone's gaze meeting his.Heturned aiming his sights out the window.

"We will work in pairs of two! Pick your partner and we will get started!" Mr. Simmons walked to where the supplies were and placed out the treys on the extra tables in the corner of the classroom.

The class chattered as they made their way around the room picking partners. A familiar face approached Arnold.

"Like always man?" Gerald said as he offered his usual thumb shake which Arnold gladly completed.

"I'll get the paint and you can grab the glue and scissors." Arnold said in his usual tone. The two ascended to get their supplies. The class worked on the projects for the next couple hours. Ten minutes before the bell rang, Mr. Simmons stood to get the classes attention.

"Oh class, before I forget, I was handed a sheet this morning talking about the cultural studies we've been working on the passed two days. Our school has announced that it will participate in an essay contest! I thought this would be a huge opportunity since we have been studying the region for almost a week now. The sponsors of this special contest revealed their biggest grand prize yet! This year the judges will award the winner and his or her class, a round trip to Central America for a whole week!" The class gasped at the thought of going to an actual out-of-country class trip. "Can you believe that? A whole week in the jungles of Central America! It's exciting to think about! That is if one of you win!" He mumbled during his excitable laughter.

Arnold's world went silent as couldn't believe what Mr. Simmons just said. His hands lost the grip and the glue and all the trash he acquired collapsed from his hands and landed on the floor. Gerald asked for the scissors but got no response.

"Arnold..?" he asked again, but still no answer. Mr. Simmons looked in the direction of the loud noise.

"Oh my! Arnold is everything okay?" He said aloud. Some of the kids took their gaze off their projects and stared at Arnold. Arnold stood there like he was frozen in time. He had thoughts racing through his mind. As soon as that he heard his name he snapped back into reality

"Oh-ohh yeah. I was just thinking about something for the project and…it slipped out of my hands. I'm Sorry Mr. Simmons!" He responded with his normal tone voice as started to pick up the mess he just made. Gerald took notice of his quick change in attitude.

The lunch bell rings and most of the kids head out to lunch. Gerald stayed behind patiently waiting to be alone with Arnold and try to figure out why his friend was acting so strange.

"Hey Arnold. You've been acting different and now you seem like your old self again. You seem awful excited about that contest. "Gerald eagerly spoke as he watched his best friend start to pick up the materials for their project. Arnold could only look at him with a smile. "Well...I'll tell you later. Go save a table at lunch! I'll meet you there in a few minutes!" Gerald raised his brow.

"Hahaha! Okay Arnold…see you in a few." Gerald confidently walked out.

Mr. Simmons looked up to notice that Arnold was still there cleaning up the station. After Arnold finished, he sat down and lost himself in his thoughts.

"Arnold? Are you not going to lunch? I have to lock the room. I need to run back to my house to pick up my folder for the class's homework for tonight."

"I'm fine Mr. Simmons. Is it ok If I stay here just for a minute?" He asked politely. Mr. Simmons grabbed his keys and nodded.

"Yes, it's fine "I-I'll lock the door so when you leave shut it on the way out. Okay?" He gave a smile and went out in a hurry.

For Arnold it was nice to have it silent. For those few minutes he thought about his parents. He grabbed the familiar brown book that contained his father's adventures. He thought deeply about the contest. Could it really be this easy? Is this the chance he's been waiting for so long? Could he finally have the chance of him finding out about his parents? Though exuberant of this unbelievable opportunity, he still had a big obstacle, winning the essay contest. It wasn't long before the one who was always on the bright side became roused with bright thoughts.

"I have to enter that contest! I will enter the contest! If I ever have a chance to finding out what happened to my parents, this is it! I can't believe it." He smiled. He stared at the journal for just a little while longer. A few minutes pass and with his stomach starting to gurgle, Arnold placed the journal back under the desk with his other books and headed to the lunch room.

"Hahaha! Unbelievable!" Gerald, Sid and Stinky didn't refrain from laughter until Arnold appeared. Arnold seated himself next to Gerald.

"Hey guys. Sorry I ran a little late." Arnold gave the kids a lame excuse.

"It's okay. It's only been a few minutes." Gerald uttered as he took another bite of his mystery meat.

"Everything's fine Gerald. I just got really excited about that essay contest. I'm going to enter it. Somehow I'm going to try to win that contest!" Arnold's reaction prompted Sid, Stinky, and Gerald to give him a confused look.

"Arnold, many kids and many schools enter that contest. Do you have any idea how hard It'll will be? Many kids enter. and usually someone else wins. Even Phoebe lost. You are going to need a miracle, Arnold." Gerald said rather bluntly. Sid replied.

"Yeah, If Phoebe couldn't win, what makes you think you could?"

"Face it Arnold, it's darn near impossible to win those types of contests. I'd be easier to plant a garden on the playground." Stinky took a big bite out of his deli sandwich.

Arnold gave somewhat of an angry look. "I'm going to enter that essay contest. I don't know how, but I have to win, no matter what happens. I'll do whatever it takes!" His gaze stayed on the boys. Sid, Stinky, Gerald gave him puzzled looks and didn't respond back to Arnold's unruly outburst.

'_I will find out what happened to my parents. The answers I've been waiting so long for will tell me.'_ he thought to himself.

After lunch was over, everyone returned to class.

"Alright class! For the rest of today we will start our book reports!" On cue, the class objected. Mr. Simmons bright mood sticks the landing and he proceeds to pass out the book report information sheet.

"Before the bell rings I will also hand out the info for the essay contest!" He retorted returning to his desk and sat down in his brown teacher's chair. He started to sort out papers and organize his desk.

Mr. Simmons stood back up grabbing a bundle of packets. Right before the bell rang for dismissal, waved his hands in an attempt to gain control of the classes attention.

"Class. Class! I have the handout for the essay contest! I hope you all will enter! Imagine, the whole class will get to take an exciting trip to the jungles of Central America! First, I will mention that the essay will be a short story! You have to make it a tale of adventure!" Arnold listened intently.

"So we just make up our own story?" Stinky answered back. Mr. Simmons let out a chuckle.

"Yes Stinky. Be creative with it!" He responded.

"Second, it has to be 3-10 pages long." Quite a few of the students didn't react kindly to the page limit they were given. Mr. Simmons took a another look at the packet.

"And last, it has to be written in pen when doing the final draft."

"It's due by the end of next week! And remember to read the packet carefully! You are more than welcome to ask me for any ideas and suggestions! There are plenty of books at the library to help you. Good luck to all of you!" Mr. Simmons headed back to his desk. The bell rang shortly after and the class got up to leave.

"The guys were going to head to the park to play some Frisbee. Want to come Arnold?" Gerald gestured toward the direction of the park. Arnold thought for a moment before he answered.

"No can do Gerald! I have a lot of work to do!" Arnold smiled as he picked up the pace and headed back to his home. Gerald only shook his head as the football headed kid ran swiftly out of the classroom.

The rest of the boys shrugged it off as they trotted out of school and headed to the park.


	3. Chapter Three: The Chance of a Lifetime

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter 3

It's been a week and a half since the start of the essay contest. Arnold has been studying everything he can about Central America's rainforests. The different animals, its dangers, and fruit that grows there. Although he studied everything he could, much of the rainforests are still shrouded in mysteries. As Arnold continued to brain storm ideas for his essay, he heard Grandpa call his name quite loudly.

"Coming Grandpa!" He headed toward the bathroom door.

"I'm expecting a package, can you go check? The new table ware is supposed to come in." He uttered through the wooden door.

"Uhh sure thing grandpah…" He agreed. The tired boy trotted to the door and the door creaked open. The man walked up handing Arnold the package. "Can you sign this for me." Arnold grabbed a pen laying on the small end table by the door. He signed the paper and headed off with the package.

The man curved his head attempting to read the signature.

"Can you spell that for me?" He kept tilting his head.

"Shortman. S-h-o-r-t-m-a-n" He smiled faintly. The man gave a nod and shut the door behind him. Arnold advanced into the kitchen and put the box on the table and headed upstairs to get back to work on his essay. A few minutes later he was greeted with a rather loud knock on the door.

"Arnold? Are you in here?" Gerald said knocking. Arnold snapped back to reality for a moment to get up and answer the door.

"Oh hey Gerald." He said rather sluggishly.

"What have you been up to? I've tried to get in touch with you a every day for the last week and even asked you if you wanted to do something after school, but you said you were busy." Gerald was a bit irritated at the fact that his best friend has been ignoring him for the passed seven days.

"I'm sorry Gerald. This essay is extremely important to me. I promise we'll go to the arcade or something later okay?" He said sitting back at the desk. Gerald walked over and noticed all the paper laying about and mountains of crumpled paper around the desk and trashcan.

"Whoa man! You have really been working hard haven't you? Do you mind me asking you exactly why this is so important to you?" Gerald finally decided to ask.

"I can't….I can't tell you. At least not yet. All you need to know is that it'll mean the world to me if I win this contest." Arnold looked down and lowered his voice, "My whole life could be changed or…I could at least get the answers I've wanted for so long" Gerald was at a loss. He knew Arnold was dead serious about this. He was starting to realize that this meant more to him than anything. It was more important than sports, school, even his Grandpa was working overtime to take care of his beloved pet Abner. He never showed this much determination. He makes what he went through with Lila a walk in the park. He could tell this was something and it was colossal.

"Okay man. I trust you. Good luck and go easy. You still have three more days to do it. If you ever need to get away you got my number." Gerald offered as he walked toward the door.

"Thanks Gerald." He gave a faint smile and turned around to get back to work. Gerald let him be and proceeded out the door.

It's been over an hour and Arnold hasn't budged.

"This is harder than I thought. I haven't written a single sentence that fits. What do I do?" He felt hopeless. Tried as he must, nothing seemed to work. '_If I don't try harder, I may never get this chance to find them_' He laid his head down and turned to face the wall. His eyes wondered until it landed on a familiar book. His eyes stared for a brief moment and shot up.

"Wait a minute. That's it! The journal! I can use my dad's journal for my story! I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner! This is great!" He grabbed the journal and immediately began to read it again.

For most of the night he wrote and rewrote the essay. After doing the final draft of the essay he looked at the clock. It was a little after three in the morning.

"Oh man! It's getting really late. I need to get to sleep…" He said groggily. He collapsed onto his messy bed and immediately fell asleep.

It was a cloudy morning in Hillwood. Arnold stirred and open his eyes. He realized his alarm didn't go off yet, but decided to get up anyway. He turned off his clock and changed into his school clothes. As he walked downstairs he heard a familiar voice echoing from the kitchen.

"Hey Arnold! Breakfast!" Grandpa yelled while flipping some eggs on one pan and bacon on the other. Arnold finally reached the door frame of the kitchen. He yawned loudly and dawdled toward the chair.

"I meant to tell you that your teacher called. He said your grades ware slipping shortman. What's been going on? You've been cooped up in your room for over a week. Your friends have been asking for ya everyday." He disclosed on him wondering why he's been acting so different. Arnold thought for a minute and decided that he needs to know why.

"Okay Grandpa. I was a little unsure of how you would react, but I entered an essay contest at school…" He said with a low but serious tone. Grandpa looked at him with a silly expression.

"Is that it? I thought something bad happened at school. That's really something shortman. Why is this essay so important to you that you barely hang out with your friends for more than a day?" He spouted grabbing a plate and placing it on the counter.

"Grandpa. We've been….studying about Central America….and…if I win this essay contest. I get to win a trip to…San Lorenzo. We would get to spend a week learning and exploring the jungle…along with my class" Arnold kept on, but right when he stated the winning destination, his grandpa went completely silent. Once his hairy ears heard the two words San Lorenzo, it immediately clicked.

"Oh Arnold. So that's what…you've been up to." The old man sighed. He knew the day would come where Arnold would get the chance to find answers on his parent's obscure disappearance, but going with his class to somewhere that dangersome?

"I know what you are thinking Grandpa, that I'm way too young, and it could be very dangerous, but it's now or never. I know it's not likely I'll find answers, but I have to try. His normally shining emerald eyes were dimmed.

His eccentric grandpa knew his grandson had what it took despite his young age.

"Don't worry shortman, we only wish we could go with you, but someone has to stay here with the boarding house. We need to keep an eye on that rat Oskar. It would be chaos if he was left here alone. And besides, Your Grandma and I have been there before already. " Arnold's smile finally manifested.

"I understand Grandpa. I'll be very careful. I've been to the library reading up on the jungle. I feel like I'm ready. I'll do anything for just a simple answer."

"I know you miss 'em, and I miss my boy very much, but it'll be way too dangerous to go look for them alone." His grandpa was stumped on what to tell him. He would very much love for him to win, but even if he did win and got his chance to go, it wouldn't be guaranteed that would find the disclosure of his parent's whereabouts. Would he find the answers he's been searching for almost a decade?

"I know Grandpa, but I have to try-" Arnold gazed at Phil.

"Promise me Shortman that you won't go alone...I've lost my son and daughter-in-law, I don't want to lose you too." Phil didn't move a muscle. Arnold knew his grandfather deeply cared about him. The ten year old was reassured that he will keep Phil's promise.

"I promise." Arnold smile . Pookie of course bounced in as usual trying to squash all the flies.

"Don't worry Kimba. You will need supplies for this mission." She held his shoulder attempting to look secretive. Arnold smiled bigger at his delusional, yet lovable grandma.

"I have to win first Grandma.." He laughed feeling a little unsure of himself.

"What do you have to write?" Grandpa stated as he placed Arnold's breakfast on the table.

"We have to write a story! You know…a story with characters and a bad guy and stuff. I couldn't think of anything for the longest time, but then I got an idea. Here's my finished one!" Arnold grinned widely.

"This is very similar to your dad's story!" Grandpa's eyes widened, "Oh wait it IS your dad's story. Silly me!"

"Wow shortman, that's a lot of pages! I'm sure you'll win the contest! I'll be rootin' for ya!" Grandpa said as Arnold inhaled his food.

"Yay Arnold!" His grandma cheered making Arnold more confident than ever.

After breakfast he said his goodbyes and ran out the door.

It was finally Friday, the big day! The class was rowdy as usual. Helga slapping Harold and Sid with his paper airplanes were scattered across the classroom. Mr. Simmons finished grading the student's papers and stood up, "Class I have an important announcement! When the bell rings we all have to head to the auditorium! Principal Wartz has some announcements and he also has really exciting news!" He said, cheerfully as usual. Arnold was the only one who was really interested. Once the bell rang, the classes headed to the auditorium. The students played around, threw paper airplanes and were cutting up. Principal Wartz approached the microphone.

"Students of PS. 118! May I have your undivided attention,…" The students simply ignore him. The principal put the microphone up to the speaker creating feedback. The loud screech shut the students up pretty quickly. As the students settled, Principal Wartz continued to speak by clearing his throat and going on with his announcements.

"I have a big announcement! I have received word that a lucky student at our school won first place in the essay contest!" Arnold's heartbeat accelerated. Principal Wartz received the envelope and surveyed the students.

"Of course as Principal, I am also invited to this trip." He quickly turns around to cheer for the fact that he gets to go. Arnold was on the edge of his seat.

"The grand prize winner who won a trip for him or her and his class is Andrew…uhhh!" He exclaimed. Arnold's heart dropped. Some of the students displayed confusion. Principal Wartz put his glasses on to take a closer look.

"Oh! My apologies. I misread the name. The real winner of the contest is…ARNOLD SHORTMAN!"

His heart leaped out of his chest. He smiled and headed up there to grab the envelope. He stood there not knowing what to say. He couldn't hear anything. The only thought that went through his mind was his parents. He achieved the first victory. He won the essay, but now the real adventure begins. The class cheered and patted Arnold on the shoulder for winning. Arnold didn't take any notice of the class's high spirits.

"Congrats again, young Arnold for winning the contest! You are all dismissed." He paraded away from the microphone as the students cheering grew louder. Harold popped up first screaming at the top of his lungs.

"NO SCHOOL FOR AN ENTIRE WEEK. ALRIGHT!" Sid immediately followed after Harold and then Stinky also shouted out of sheer joy.

"We get to go to the jungle! Bug heaven!"

"Do you reckon we'll get to go fishin' and hikin'!?" Phoebe encouraged Stinky's outburst.

"I'm sure that is only scraping the surface of the events we could be participating in on the trip!" She smiled widely.

"Wow Arnold! You did it!" Gerald spoke finally breaking his silence with a loud and somewhat squeaky voice.

"I did!" He said exuberantly. His excitement made his body feel numb. He couldn't believe it.

"The packet says we are leaving in two weeks. It won't be long Gerald. We have two weeks to prepare." Gerald said completely oblivious to Arnold's intentions.

"You really are hyped up about this aren't you?"

"You'll see Gerald. This is more than just a trip…I have to go home and tell my grandparents! Hey…Want to meet up at the arcade later?" He offered with a smile. Gerald sighed still utterly muddled.

"Uhh okay sure. Catch you later..!" Gerald knew Arnold was up to something, but decided to shrug it off. '_I hope I can find out why Arnold excited, I mean I'm happy he won. What in the world could this be to make him act this way?_' He continues on his way.

"Grandma! Grandpa! I WON! I WON THE CONTEST! I'M GOING TO SAN LORENZO!" He declared as he slammed opened he dark green door to the boarding house like he just won the lottery.

"Way to go Kimbaaa! Ahaha!" His Grandma Gertie shouted throughout the old brick house as she picked up her preteen grandson and swung him around. Grandpa came out of the bathroom with a rolled up newspaper.

"Ohhh That's wonderful Arnold! You did it Shortman! I always had faith in ya!" He roared in a shrill voice as he rubbed his grandson's blonde spiky hair. The three celebrated in a group hug.

That night they celebrated Arnold's victory. He was finally given his chance he's waited so long for. It was the chance of a lifetime.


	4. Chapter Four: The Journey Begins

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter 4

The week of the trip approached fast and no one was more piqued than Arnold. Already more than half way packed for his excursion, he went for his desk and saw the journal. He looked back toward the bag and thought for a moment. '_Maybe I should take the whole book…_' Arnold smiled and stuck the journal in his backpack. Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the door.

"Come in!" Arnold said not really paying much attention to whomever was at the door. His grandfather entered with something in his hand.

"Hey Shortman! Only a couple more days till your trip! I know it is exciting, but I would like to talk to you for a few minutes." He said as he a took a seat on Arnold's bed.

"Sure Grandpa. What is it?" He continued to rifle through his drawers for extra clothes.

"I want you to remember Arnold that sometimes things don't always come out the way we want them too. You have to be aware of all the outcomes. You may find answers and you may not. There will be danger all around you. We just don't want you to get hurt." He waited for Arnold's response.

"I know, I'm just as scared as you are." Grandpa Phil knew there was nothing that would stop young Arnold.

"Just think before you act Arnold." He warned. Arnold knew what he was doing isn't a game. It's real. Arnold gave him a warm smile.

"I promise I'll be careful." Grandpa rubbed his head and rose up from Arnold's bed.

"You really are growing up aren't you shortman? Oh, your friend Gerald stopped by a while ago asking if you were home. Why don't you go enjoy a game of baseball or something'." As his grandfather walked out the door Arnold put his packed bags together and ran down stairs. Once he opened the door to outside, there was Gerald. He was waiting patiently on the last step of Arnold's stoop.

"Hey man. Still up for the arcade?" He asked with a grin. Arnold gave his famous half smile.

"Yeah. Lets go" Gerald looked beside him at Arnold.

"The whole gang's coming too. They've been wanting to talk about the trip"

The two boys headed to the arcade where everyone was waiting.

Helga was at home getting her bags packed too. Thankfully, she knew exactly what to pack. All she needed was two duffel bags and her sleeping bag and pillow. As she stared at her bed, she saw her pink book.

"Ohh Arnold! Finally, a chance to be with my beloved amongst vast wilderness. Wilst I ever get a chance alone with my football headed love god? This could be the big break! I shall soon not be afraid to share my hidden feelings for you Arnold. Ohhh! This trip is Arnold's desire! And so it shall be mine also!" As if it was right on cue , her brute of a father calls her from downstairs. Her mask of hatred is plastered on her face once again. She crammed the small Arnold locket back under her shirt.

"Helga! Get down her little lady!" She travels back down stairs quickly shoving her angry mask on.

"What is this paper you left on the counter? You are going out-of-country trip?" He said with his voice raising even louder.

"Yeah? What of it. All you have to do is sign this permission slip-…" Big Bob immediately interrupted her.

"Ooohhh noo. Absolutely not!"

"What? Why?!" she threw her arms up out of animosity.

"Dad! Come on! The whole class is going! Why can't I?!" She scowled. Her father turned around, only to scowl back at her.

"You are too young to be out there in the jungle by yourself Olga.." Helga sighed.

"It's Helga…dad. And besides, I won't be alone. The whole class is going, including Mr. Simmons and Principal Wartz…We have two adults. Isn't that good enough!?" Big Bob got a splendid idea.

"Hmm. Maybe Olga could also go. That's a great idea. You can go, but you have to take your sister with you so she can keep an eye on you." Helga cringed at the idea, but put on a fake smile anyway. '_As long as I go I think I could handle that…Olga._'

"Suuuure dad. That's a great idea. Yeah let Olga come with us." she tried desperately not to wince. Helga handed him the permission slip. He snatched it from her hands and signed it.

"There. I'll call Olga and get her here.." He scowled walking out the door. Helga just let out a low growl and grabbed some loose change. She trudged by the kitchen and a passed out Miriam.

"I'm going to the arcade" She said grimacing as she toddled out the door. For the rest of the day, the gang couldn't be more excited to go and discussed what they want to do.

It was the day of departure. As usual, the class was pretty restless. Mr. Simmons's class was waiting in the classroom. The bus that was going to take them to the airport was running late. As the class chattered amongst themselves, Arnold was quiet. He was more interested in what was out the window. Helga comes in late and was being shadowed by her perfect sister Olga. The class observed this while she went to the empty seat by the door.

"Finally made it. "She grunted. Mr. Simmons looked up at the door.

"Oh Helga. I heard from your sister Olga you get to come on the field trip after all! Do you have the permission slip?" Helga sighed with an irritated expression and walked over to Mr. Simmons and handed him the permission slip. Mr. Simmons greeted her with a smile.

"I've packed my favorite gear for this trip! I'm so excited! Aren't you Helga?" Olga blissfully grasping her hands together. Helga 's expression ceased to change.

"I'm glad you get to join us on this special…and exciting trip to the jungle! " Helga only shot back a scowl.

"Yeah yeah.." She sat back down. Olga grabbed the other empty seat beside Helga and continued her random conversations wit the other students behind her. The class slowly started to crank back up and converse amongst themselves.

Principal Wartz jaunted into the chatty classroom. He gave a waving salute signaling that it was time to head to the bus.

"My apologies for the long wait boys and girls. Our caravan has arrived! We need you to calmly grab your bags and head to the bus-" Attempting to be calm and organized, Principal Wartz was instead in the middle of a stampeding class barreling towards him. He swiftly got out of the way.

"Finally! We get to skip school for the whole week! Alright! I'm bringing tons of food! Aww I can't wait!" Harold's over eager self proclaimed.

"Hey! Remember students. Only two small carry-on bags per student!" He stated raising his index finger up.

The class didn't pay much attention to their principal. As soon as the class had their stuff ready they barreled toward the school's main entrance and started to pile onto the bus. The only two stragglers were Arnold and Helga.

"I can't wait to see what it's like in the Jungle! I'm sure it's full of wonderful creatures and just an abundant of trees!" Phoebe said with her usual sweet tone. Gerald smiled and followed beside her to the bus. Helga didn't make much of it and only responded with a sarcastic answer. "Yeah…I can't wait.." Arnold looked at Helga, "You aren't the least bit excited Helga?" Helga was obviously tired and handed him a small grunt.

"Not really, hair boy." Of course, no one knew that Helga was secretly pining over Arnold and the fact they'll be in the jungle together, even if the other kids are there. As the two slowly approached the bus there was one seat left for the two. Helga's eyes widened a little. Arnold only sighed.

"Looks like we have to share the seat until we get to the airport.." He said in a 'oh well' type of tone and sat down. Helga took a seat beside him and sunk down.

"Ahahahaa! Arnold and Helga have to sit togetherrrrr!" Helga easily hid her real self under a mask of fury and waved her fist at him.

"you better shut up pink boy, or I'll give you a one way ticket off this bus." Harold made a smart move by hanging back.

Harold was slumped over the seat continuing his laughter with Stinky and Sid. He bends over to check the duffel bag beside him.

"Aww man! I left my chocolate bars in my other bag. Aww I'm so hungrrry!" He complained and sat back down doing his usually pout routine. Sid and Stinky only laughed.

"At least you have a bag big enough to stuff all of your snacks Harold." Stinky spoke in his usual country accent.

Rhonda was searching through her purse, "I can't believe we are going to a silly jungle. How can they think that's fun? It's hot, there's way too much rain and worst of all no shopping centers! It is simply a home for nasty bugs and barbarians…" She asked Nadine. Nadine thought otherwise.

"How can it not be? It's bug heaven! I brought some extra jars to catch as many as I can! I can't wait to examine them!" She poked into her backpack to grab a jar she had handy to show Rhonda. Rhonda only shot an uninterested smirk at her best friend, Lila decided to give her answer.

"I think it'll be marvelous! Just ever-so marvelous!" The sweet tone made Rhonda roll her eyes. 

"We'll see…" She slouched in her seat.

The class continued on to the airport. They arrived early and waited to be boarded. There was a lot of hustle and bustle. People would bump each other now and then. Arnold started to become impatient. His whole future depends on this trip.

"This is it boys and girls. Stay together! Our plane is this way!" Mr. Simmons stated strolling to the gate entrance. One of the female workers approached to Mr. Simmons. 

"I'm sorry sir. You'll have to wait over there. I'm afraid the plane was delayed due to weather conditions. It should arrive later this afternoon." Mr. Simmons tried his best to keep the smile on.

"Oh. Oh ok then. Umm…" He said not sure exactly what to do. He turned to make sure the class would stop in front of him.

"Okay class. It seems our plane was delayed. We'll have to wait for it patiently. We all must stay together. We have to get our luggage in and go through the security check points." The students finished their preparations and all of them gathered in an area full of empty seats. The class moaned and so everyone went to be seated and waited impatiently for their plane.

Five o' clock was coming up fast. Some of the class was drifting off to sleep. Then suddenly, a voice came over the intercom.

"Flight 90 is ready for boarding at gate 33. Again, flight 90 is ready for boarding at gate 33." Mr. Simmons perked up.

"That's our plane! Okay class. Let's line up!" The sluggish class rose on their feet to get to their gate and board the plane. Helga scowled again at the fact that Olga is sitting right beside her. Thankfully Phoebe gets to sit right beside her on the plane as well. Most of the class had an area of the plane to their selves. As the hour ticked away the plane finally departed. After a few minutes of getting settled, Harold set off the cue and all the kids started raising a ruckus. The kids switched around in their seats. Harold, Stinky, and Sid were up to their usual deviousness. Stinky decided to grab a yahoo while Harold dug through his bag and pulled out a bag of chips. Then you have Rhonda, Lila, and Nadine talking amongst themselves. A familiar young boy with a bowl cut hair do pops his head over the seat.

"Give daddy some sugar!" Rhonda jumps and meets Curly with a cringe.

"Oh! UGH!" She leans back even more. After a few more exchanged words, she couldn't take it anymore and moves back a seat. This does not stop Curly from also moving up between Nadine and Lila to harass Rhonda some more.

"1, 2, 3, and JUMP!" Sheena sings halting Eugene through the air and down the isles. Helga was writing in her pink book when on cue, Brainy pops his head over the seat and wheezes. Helga growls and socks him in the face. Olga turns back to Helga continuing her chat about her successful life. Phoebe also kept rambling on about the history of San Lorenzo and it's role in American history. Gerald and Arnold were just talking amongst each other. The class was in a constant state of chaos until the hours ticked by and they finally calmed down. As most of the class got comfortable in their seats, Gerald popped on his headphones as Arnold settled himself as well. Since most of the class has already dozed off, Arnold glanced around. The feeling that he could soon be closer to finding out what could have happened 9 years ago. Gerald was listening to his music and the others don't seem to be awake or paying attention. He bent over and grabbed something out of his carry-on bag.

'I'll be there soon Mom… and Dad…' he said looking at the journal that he pulled out of his bag. He steered his eyes toward the window with journal clenched in his arms. Gerald opened his eye for a second to glance what Arnold's doing.

"Hey Arnold, what are you looking at?" Arnold snapped back to reality and shifted his gaze.

"Oh..no. nothing Gerald…." He tried to shift a little and put the book off to the side out of his sights. Gerald noticed something brown in the corner of his eye.

"...What's that?" Arnold slowly pulled it back out.

"Uhh It's a book I found in my attic…It's a really good book." he looked down at it smiling. Gerald raised a brow. He sat up and turned towards Arnold to get a better look.

"Journal huh? Whose Journal is it?" He said reaching for it. Arnold immediately moved it away from Gerald.

"No.. I mean. it's a story about someone's life. It belong to someone in my family. That's all." He gave him a reassured faint smile. Gerald stared for a minute and gave Arnold a half lid gaze.

"Oh I see. So are yoouuu….up to play some cards before turning in for the night?"

He said showing him a deck of cards. Arnold copied Gerald's look and thought for a moment.

"Nahh…it's getting late. I might go ahead and turn in for the rest of the night…" He whispered moving his bag a little more under the seat.

"Okay Arnold. Whatever you say." Gerald situated himself back in his seat and went to sleep. Arnold's light was the only one on. He looked at the journal and some of the pictures his father drew.

"It's been nine long years and I can't wait any longer. Hang in there, if you're still out there I'm coming…" He said in a hushed tone.

It was only a matter of time before they would arrive at their destination. Arnold started to feel a little uneasy and a little nervous. He was up for another hour before he finally became drowsy. He stuffed the journal back into his bag and went to sleep.

Meanwhile, a group of explorers arrive in the heart of San Lorenzo. The leader is a tall tanned skin man with a gray beard. H wore jeans, a light colored shirt, and a tawny hat. The man turns to his group of men and smiles.

"We have a class of fifth graders coming for a week long trip. We must prepare for their arrival and give them a proper greeting!" The men immediately grabbed their gear and headed to the welcome center. Their leader stared at his map of San Lorenzo with a tiny glimmer of red in his eye. He stared at the men for a moment and they all looked back.

One of the men, short and stalky, approached his leader.

"But sir, what if the kid we are looking for recognizes you?" He gestured his arms. The dark skinned guy stepped forward rubbing his hairy chin in thought.

"Well then, My name from now on is Fernando…Yes. Address me with that." He said with a cold glare. The man nodded. He knew this was a person not to be reckoned with.

He stuffed the map into his back pocket and slipped a small toothpick into his mouth. He released a low foreboding chuckle.

"The time has come…The plans have been put into action. And now…we wait."


	5. Chapter Five: Arrival in San Lorenzo

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter Five

The blinding sun rose higher and higher. It was close to seven in the morning and most of the class is barely stirring. One of the flight attendants came trotting down the isle with a small menu.

"Any of you children want some breakfast?" And of course Harold was the first to answer.

"How about some sugar chunks lady!" He said groggily as he attempted to re-adjust himself. He woke up Sid and Stinky with his whiny voice.

"Hey Harold. Why did yall have to go and wake me up for. Wait…Are we there already?" Stinky started to get a little excited. Mr. Simmons turned around facing where the boys were.

"Harold it's still early let's keep it low. And not yet Stinky. We're almost there…"

As time passed, the class woke up one by one . Arnold scooted over toward the window and peaked through the glass. His eyes widened a little. The view was beautiful. The jungle covered much of the region.

"Whoa… Gerald! Look out the window!" Gerald was one of the last to wake up. He pushed his limp body up and rubbed one of his eyes.

"What..?" He also took a spot of the window to see the view.

"That's a lot of trees." He commented. Arnold could only keep his gaze at the beauty around him. '_Somewhere out there.' _Arnold's mouth was ajar as a whole other world opened up to him. Only arriving, he has already begun looking for a sign, despite still being up thousands of feet.

A lot of the kids heard the commotion and were also interested. The lot of them crowded toward the windows to look out and see for themselves.

"Whoa! Ooo! WOW!" Some of them shouted in awe of the beautiful limitless rainforest. Olga was also gazing out the window enjoying nature's beauty..

"Oh Helga! Isn't it just wonderful?" She spoke softly as she admired the view. Phoebe also marveled at the vista below them. Helga rolled her eyes and grumbled.

"It's just a huge clump of overgrown trees …yeeeesh" She slouched in her chair even more than she was.

A voice on the intercom caught the kids' attention.

"Please be seated and buckled as the plane descends and prepare for landing." The class scrambled to their seats

and secured themselves and their belongings. The plane started to shake and rumble as it landed roughly on the runway. Principal Wartz and Mr. Simmons waited for the plane to safely stop.

"Okayyy class! Grab your things and wait in the isle in a straight line. We'll get off of here in just a minute!" Everyone was chewing the fat amongst themselves. Arnold only looked ahead. It won't be long before the start of his grandest adventure yet. After several intervals passed the group was still waiting. The class finally started to move toward the exit of the plane. The class disembarked and the kids one by one took turns observing the area around them. Arnold was one of the last ones and gazed at the huge forest encompassing him. His pace quickened down the stairs of the plane. He dropped his carry-on bag and kept his gaze upwards.

'_I finally made it! _' Arnold's smile got bigger. This was it! The quest to find his parents had finally begun. Mr. Simmons motioned everyone to follow him.

"Boys and girls! The village we'll be staying in is right down here! There's not many people here ,however, a few villagers, are here to help us get settled. We'll be here for a whole week!" He looked ahead of the wide path and saw a sizeable opening. Some of the class started to pick up their pace and run toward the opening. Arnold was one of them and eventually made his way in front of the class. Everything around him would steal his gaze. The smile on his face only grew wider. Mr. Simmons took notice of Arnold's interest in the fauna and foliage around him.

"Isn't it amazing Arnold! It's going to be an exciting week of learning!" Arnold turned his sights to Mr. Simmons.

"Yes it will…" Arnold wish he could talk about his parents, but that was his secret mission. It was to find them, but it's obvious that no one would allow him to go. And so his mission was kept as it was, a secret.

The class stood in the opening of the village. This village consisted of various huts and a couple areas that contained patches of vegetables.

"We are staying…here!" Mr. Simmons exclaimed. The class only stood there a bit too dumbfounded to talk. Most of the class liked it, save for a few. They proceeded to run around looking at their abodes for the week.

Rhonda wasn't very happy.

"We're staying in these dumps? You have got to be kidding…Where are the hotels? Where's the spa? The city? Please don't tell me this is it. " She said quite bluntly. Lila's hands embraced each other and a smile shot across her face.

"Oh these are so lovely! Just ever-so lovely! So simple and a lot like my old country!"

The tour guide and his men approached the children as the luggage was discharged from the plane. As the kids grabbed their bags, this older lanky old man approached the class and Mr. Simmons.

"This must be the class we were told was arriving! Hello and welcome to the glorious republic of San Lorenzo! My name is Fernando and I'm your tour guide for the week." he said with a very heavy accent.

"Wonderful! Class? Class! Say hello to Mr. Fernando!" The class bluntly answered back

"Hello Mr. Fernando…" Mr. Simmons grinned. Fernando snapped his fingers and his group of explorers came forward and picked up the children's luggage and started to transport them to their huts.

"Alright boys and girls it's time to assign you your cabin numbers...or should I say huts?" he let out a chuckle and scanned his list. "After you are assigned a cabin, you may grab your luggage and take it to your hut." The men who were helping carry the class's luggage set them down in front of the kids.

"In cabin one we have: Arnold, Gerald, Harold and Sid!" Arnold and Gerald did their thumb shake.

"Then we have in cabin two: Stinky, Eugene, and Curly." Stinky sighs in disappointment.

"Now for the girls! In Cabin three we have Helga, Phoebe, and Olga!" Helga scowled at the fact she had to share her cabin with her 'perfect sister' and of course Olga couldn't be happier. Phoebe turned to smile at Helga.

"Cabin four consists of Rhonda, Nadine, Lila and Sheena!" The girls complied. "The last cabin will Be Principal Wartz and I. If you need something or anything happens, please let us know right away. Go ahead and get your luggage and arrange it how you want it! We'll give you two hours to unpack and get settled!" The students grabbed their things and headed to their cabins. Arnold and Gerald entered with their bags and picked themselves a bed.

"Never thought we'd have bunks.." Arnold spoke observing the contents of their cabin. "Mind if I take the bottom bunk?" Gerald shrugged and didn't seem to mind at all.

"Boy howdy Bunk beds! I get the top one on this side!" Sid blurted only to be shouted at by Harold.

"Hey no fair! I get the top bunk, Sid!" he said trying to outrun him, but Sid easily climbed to the top claiming it as his.

"Come on Harold, we all know you'd just break the top bunk and I don't want you falling on me." Harold became angry waving his fist at Sid.

"Say that I'm fat again and I'll pound you." The two kept on bickering. Arnold and Gerald looked at each other and smiled.

Gerald placed his bags beside the bed. As Arnold sifted through his stuff he came across his smaller bag. He turned his gaze to Harold and Sid who weren't really paying attention to him at the moment. This prompted Arnold to take the bag and place it under the bed out of their sight. In recent nights, Arnold's been planning to escape at night to begin his search, however he didn't want to go out alone due to his promise to His Grandpa. He needed to put the items he planned on bringing with him when the time came to sneak out. Arnold then looked back into his duffel bag and came across his father's journal again. He again sneakily stuck the journal into his shoulder bag. Gerald decided to pounce on the bed to see how comfortable they were.

"They're actually kinda comfy…" He looked at Arnold suspiciously placing things in a small bag.

"What are you packing Arnold?" Arnold jumped and was quick to think of an excuse.

"Ohh…it's just…a small pack to carry some water and things we might need when we go hiking…or something." Gerald raised his brow.

"Oh...um okay then." he laid down on the bed smiling. "I can't wait to see what we're gonna do first." Arnold shook his head. The thought of him sneaking out was constantly on his mind. When would be able to sneak out and can he do it without anyone noticing?

"I'm interested too…." Arnold fixed his bags neatly and sat on the edge of his bed. Harold, unable to climb up the bed decided to stick with the bottom bunk and grumpily accepted the outcome.

"I get the top one next time." Sid hung over the side.

"Hahaha! Sorry Harold." Due to Sid's short stature he also was able to carry up his bag and leave it on the bed against the wall. Harold plopped himself on his bunk to take more time to relax, or at least until the class was heading out for their first excursion.

Stinky wasn't the happiest person, but he didn't seem to mind that much.

"I'll just mosey on up and take this here bunk." Eugene smiled back.

"I'll take the one below you then!" He said in his usual peppy tone. Brainy only wheezed as he walked over to the bottom bunk on the opposite side.

"I reckon you'll take that one then…" Stinky said to break the silence.

"Ughh…" he wheezed for a few seconds, "Uh huh…" Those were the only two words he spoke.

Rhonda unwillingly dragged her bag to the closest bed.

"This is getting annoying already. I just want to get my bags in and call my parents to come and get me off this miserable island…" Nadine dropped her bags beside the bed.

"I'll take the top bunk!" she climbed the post to get up to the top. She hung her head over the bed and stared at Rhonda." You know your technology won't work out here…right?" Rhonda froze.

"Don't be silly Nadine…I have the best of the best when it comes to technology. There shouldn't be a single problem!" She said perking back up. Nadine shook it off and rolled back over. Lila and Sheena came in giggling shortly after Rhonda and Nadine.

"I can't wait to go hiking! I just love to go walking.. Just ever-so much!" she smiled even bigger. Sheena clutched her hands.

"I'm also very excited! Can't wait to see all the adorable animals and all the trees! Hey Lila you want the top bed?" Lila nodded, "That would be nice, but I'm sure you should take it." Sheena agreed, "If you're sure." She replied in a sweet tone.

In Helga's cabin, the only person who was talking was Olga. "I'm so excited Helga! I've really wanted to visit central America! It's so wonderful! I really want to meet the natives. I have so many questions!" Helga sarcastically replied.

"Yeah. It's a real doozy." Helga stuffed her bags beside her bunk on the right. "Hey Phoebes…do you have my other candy bars in your bag?" Phoebe dug into her bag and pulled them out.

"Right here, Helga!" she smiled. Helga casually just took them out of her tiny hands. She took a deep breath and fell down onto the bed.

"These beds aren't too bad…" She said stretching and placing her arms under her head. She closed her eyes and tuned out whatever was happening around her. Phoebe pounced herself on the bottom bed of the other bunk and cuddled with the pillow.

As time progressed, the kids all gathered for their first hiking trip in the humid jungles of Central America. The tour guide, Fernando, came out with a map.

"Today we are going to the river banks! We also have a little surprise for you on our way!" He guided the kids on the trail.

"This is a huge forest…" Stinky said gazing at the trees around him. The tour guide smiled.

"Why yes…Yes it is!…Mr.….?" He looked at Stinky waiting for a reply.

"The name's Stinky sir." Fernando furrowed his brow.

"Ah, yes…Well Mr.…Stinky…There are thousands of trees! In fact the rainforest covers 87 kilometers of Central America! These rainforests are also home to thousands of insects. Most of the fauna is made up of fish and birds with well over 600 species!" He said with an exaggerating tone of voice. Some of the class reacted and looked around in awe.

Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes. Some of the class jumped. A large snake slithered toward one of them. Helga jumped into Arnold's arms squealing and scaring the snake. The snake scurried off in another direction, prompting Helga to immediately get out of Arnold's grasp.

"Ew…Don't get all mushy on me, Arnoldo!" Her reaction only made Arnold give her an annoyed expression.

Arnold shrugged it off. The class continued till they arrived on a ledge showing a huge valley. In front of them was a long rope bridge.

"Boy howdy look at that!" Sid's voice echoed looking over the edge and into the valley. Arnold especially was amazed. It was thanks to all the stories his grandparents told him about his parent's various adventures which prepared him for the wonders that make up this mysterious region.

"Willikers, that's a steep fall. I wonder how far that there slope goes." Sid threw a medium sized rock down and the watched it go our of sight and didn't even see it touch the ground.

"Wowww" The two stared down where the rock most likely fell. Harold stepped back showing that he does not want to be that close to the edge.

Their guide, Fernando smiled and held out his hands to let one of the kids go first. Most of the class was pretty reluctant to go across. Arnold stared straight across and not a trace of fear was seen on his face. He took a step onto the bridge to see how sturdy it was. He kept taking more frequent steps and felt generally okay to keep going across the rickety cetnuries old bridge. His best friend could always trust Arnold so he was the next person take the step and followed Arnold.

"Only a couple more can go until they get closer to the other end, just take it slow.." He said comforting the scared children. Harold was almost in tears.

"I might be scared, but…but I'm not chicken!" He took a baby step and was trembling just a bit. After a few steps he suddenly became brave. "Hey This isn't so bad after all." he said letting go of the railing.

"Ok two more kids can continue across...There we go…" the tour guide spoke in a low tone. Eventually, the whole group was on the bridge, but a good majority of them weren't moving very fast.

"Something tells me this is not a good idea…" Gerald said breaking the silence. The tour guide only smiled, "Many of tourists have crossed this bridge. It might be old but it's quite sturdy. No need to worry."

It took a while before the class was finally reaching the other side. Arnold and Gerald took the first step onto the rocks and ground that secured the bridge.

"We finally got off…It's just a little too high for me." Arnold had a small smile as he looked at Gerald.

"Looks like it's all forest path from here." Arnold answered back. Their guide quickened his pace to get back into the lead.


	6. Chapter Six: A Friend Indeed

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter 6

The tour continued. They walked through various paths and beautiful views. Arnold took in everything as he went along. Any information that could come in handy when the time came. Halfway into their exploration, they stopped at a large open area with aged wooden tables. They had stringy hay umbrellas but you could tell they were quite dilapidated. Definitely not a nice welcoming area..

"I'm sure you kids are quite famished. Thankfully, we had everything prepared for you!" Fernando said politely while holding out his hand. The class immediately became bewildered. including Harold, but he really didn't seem to mind since his stomach was the chief of his body and not the brain.

"ALRIIGHT!" He was the first to barrel over and take a seat. He did not hesitate to take the first bite of lunch. As the class sat down, Arnold and Gerald sat toward the end.

"The Jungle isn't all that bad…but it's still kinda hot and sticky. Maybe wearing a hoodie wasn't the brightest idea." Gerald leaned back and removed it from his torso revealing his red sleeveless top. He wrapped his hoodie around him and tied it around his waist for now.

"I'll just toss this in my bag at the cabin when we get back.." Arnold didn't really talk much. He had way too much on his mind. _'Maybe I should tell Gerald. I promised Grandpa I wouldn't go alone…Should I…bring it up now…or wait-?.' _Arnold was snapped back to reality thanks to Gerald waving his hand in front of Arnold's face.

"Earth to Arnold. Are you in there? Man, you have been acting differently. First you were sad, but then the contest and you got all excited when you won. Something's up.. You know you can always talk to me. You are my best friend you know." Gerald said encouraging Arnold to talk.

"Well I was going to say something, but I didn't know how to come about it. I made a promise to grandpa...it's a loooong story…I'll tell you later on tonight when everyone's asleep." he whispered hoping no one would hear him. Gerald was immediately intrigued.

"Oh okay…" the two continued to eat.

After an hour the class was waiting for their tour guide, Fernando, for any further instructions. Fernando was with his small group of men talking about various things.

"Is it time…I mean we are alone boss-" The shorter one, named Tiotom exclaimed to his boss. The taller lanky one, Feliciano, agreed, but before he could speak, Fernando placed his hand over his face.

"It's only the first day…On the third day, we'll get them on the boat tour. And then…it's time to carry out phase two of the plan, but for now...keep it quiet, you hear?" He said threateningly to his cronies. The three headed his warning and walked out side of the smaller hut. Fernando clapped twice and stood in front of the long table the class was sitting at.

"I hope everyone's full as we are ready to head out on our next adventure! We'll get to see some old caves containing old writings of ancient civilizations!" The class followed.

After doing some long hiking and exploring the primordial caves the class start to show some signs of exhaustion due to the humid heat that coats the jungle. Fernando decides it's time for a good cool off.

"For the rest of today we'll get in some pool time! What do you say amigos?" He put his fists on his hips waiting for a reply. He got a good majority of the whole class cheering.

"You have a pool? Finally something I could actually enjoy! " spoke the relieved Rhonda. Mr. Simmons and Principal Wartz also seemed pretty ecstatic.

"Alright! Let's go back to your cabins and grab whatever you need!" The class clumped together and ran in the direction of their cabins.

"Ugh class! Slow down! We'll…We'll get there soon enough!" Mr. Simmons yelled in hopes of getting the class to tone down their excitement so he could keep up.

Upon arriving at their campsite, the kids scattered into their huts. The only things the boys had to do was get into their trunks and bathing suits on. Subsequently, the boys waited outside for the girls. In Rhonda's cabin, Lila had on a cute light green one piece. She grabbed a pink polka-dot towel and some sunscreen.

"Your bathing suit suits you well Lila." Rhonda complimented as she grabbed her expensive tan oil and decorative beach towel. "Finally, we get something a bit more relaxing to do. This jungle is just way too humid and there are tons of bugs everywhere! I've already got scuffs on my brand new boots. It's simply driving me mad." Sheena couldn't see why Rhonda didn't like the jungle.

"I think it's lovely. It is a little humid, but there is plenty of shade from the sun and it's so full of plants and I even got to see a cute little monkey nibbling on some fruit!" Lila smiled at Sheena and replied, "I agree. It's beautiful, just ever so beautiful!"

In Helga's cabin the girls didn't take as long as the other girls did. Helga sprayed her sunscreen on and grabbed her towel and sunglasses and headed toward the door. Olga was holding her towel sporting her light green bikini, "wait for me baby sister! I'm coming too!" she said giddily prancing toward Helga. Helga, as usual just rolled her eyes and stayed silent as they both walked out the door. Phoebe followed behind the two in her light blue one piece with a cute skirt added to it. Helga was still irritated about this entire trip. How would she plan some alone time with Arnold with her perfect sister always looming over her shoulder. In the mean time, all she could do was try and keep her cool.

Once everyone came out ready to go, they headed to the underbrush about twenty or thirty yards and found a beautiful sparkling pool of clear water painted with large green foliage. Helga raised a brow, "I thought we were going to the pool…?" she scowled. The tour guide kept his composure and walked toward the walkway that leads back to the village. He and the men with him walked back since it was a straight shot back to the village they were bunking at.

It wasn't long before nightfall that they packed up and headed back to their camp site. The kids, tired from today's explorations, sat around the campfire on old chopped logs. They have been eating hotdogs Mr. Simmons packed for their trip.

"Does anyone have a transcendent tale of adventure or a good ghost story?" Some of the preteens looked at each other waiting for someone to reply.

"Transcendent? What the heck's that mean?" the country talking Stinky asked. Mr. Simmons let out a tiny sigh.

"It means great Stinky…" Stinky stared.

"Oh."

After a few minutes of mediocre ghost stories Arnold was struck with an idea. Arnold raised his hand.

"I have story. It's from a book I read a few months ago." Arnold said rather excitedly. Mr. Simmons

Smiled and gestured Arnold to stand.

"This incredible story starts with an explorer named…Martin! He traveled everywhere he could. He brewed remedies and learned about culture around him. While he was here in these rainforests, he met a lady named Sarah She also studied potions and cures for jungle diseases. They were inseparable. Together they traveled the world helping people in need. They're favorite place to be was here, in San Lorenzo. They became friends with a secret tribe called the Blue-eyes. Until they were stalked by the evil river pirate named Salvador who found out about Martin and Sarah's friendship with the secret tribe!" As he belted out the last part, Fernando's eyes dimmed and a tint of rage was hinted on his face. Arnold continued with the story.

"He knew of a sacred Talisman that the blue eyes treasured. He wanted it all for himself. So he set out to find the old shrine that contained it. After many attempts he found it. Salvador STOLE IT from them!" Arnold's tone became more intense. Harold started to shake chewing on his thumbnail. Some of the other boys and girls stared wide-eyed at Arnold's misgiving tone as he continued on with his story. Even Gerald was drawn into it.

"When Martin and Sarah found out, they decided to track him down. Once they finally obtained the treasure from the pirate, they frantically ran through the thick rain forests that surrounded them. Eventually they escaped from the evil grasp of Salvador!" Arnold kept turning around and pushing himself toward the fire to give a dramatic touch, which obviously worked. The tour guide Fernando and his men were listening intently. The stout man Tiotom's eyed widened a little and turned to focus on his leader.

"Sir…that story! It sounds an awful lot like…"Fernando leaned back in a muffled tone.

"I know. He changed it a little. That kid. It's him alright. I wonder how he knew all this…"He continued watching the ten year old tell his story.

"The Blue-eyes accepted them as members of their tribe and their family. Miles...I mean Martin and Sarah were married shortly after. When they heard the tribe became sick, they immediately traveled back to the forest of San Lorenzo and began gathering things to make the medicine the tribe desperately needed. They save the tribe from the sickness. After they celebrated, Sarah found out she was going to have a son. The two eventually had a son named Alfred, but one day they had to leave to help the tribe again so they left him with…his aunt and uncle. They never returned until nine years later! They were together again. They began to take trips around the world with their son. The once separated family were together again." He replaced a sad look with a smile. The only one to notice something iffy was Gerald. _'Hmm...That story seems a little weird. Why is he acting like the story was something that might have happened to someone he knew?'_

"That was a righteously told story Arnold!" Gerald said with a half-lid gaze. Arnold sat back down.

Mr. Simmons and some of the class seemed to like Arnold's adventurous tale. The teacher looked around the campfire at his students and stood up.

"Okay class! It is time to check in for the night! We have an exciting day tomorrow!" He said joyously. His students were thrilled to be able to go to bed. They all sauntered to their huts ready for sleep. Gerald came to the decision to finally pry into what Arnold was going to tell him, but first was feeling off about that story he recounted.

"Hey Arnold! That story of yours was pretty cool! Was it based on a true story?" Arnold became a little peevish.

"well actually it was..." Arnold felt defeated. He couldn't lie or keep this secret any longer.

"Tonight I'll tell you everything…after everyone is asleep …" Gerald sighed and agreed.

When everyone retired to the cabins for the night, Gerald and Arnold were trudging side by side and Gerald glanced around to see what the other kids were doing. He concluded that the coast was clear and decided to ask about what Arnold had to say.

"So Arnold what exactly did you want to tell me..?" Arnold sighed, "I can explain what exactly is going on. I'll tell you on one condition…You can't tell anyone about this. You have to promise me." Gerald smiled.

"Hey man you can trust me…" he said without a single drop of sweat. Arnold smiled back and the two entered their cabin, got into their pajamas, and grabbed out some of their Purdy boys comics and relaxed on their beds until Harold and Sid would finally shut up and go to sleep. A couple hours later all the other kids were out like lights. Gerald was on the verge of falling asleep and then Arnold tapped on his shoulder waking him up.

"Huh…oh I wasn't sleeping. I was just resting my eyes…" He whispered as he climbed down slowly onto Arnold's bed. Arnold had his arms resting on the bed with his knees slight bent up.

"Do you remember when you and the others went to Dinoland and was finally able to ride that Tyrannosaurus Rex Roller coaster? You guys stopped by my house to ask if I wanted to go, but I ended up not going." Gerald pondered for a moment, "I think…I think I do…"

"Okay.." he was still hesitant, but he knew he could trust Gerald. "It's a pretty long story though. That day where I was sitting on the stoop of my house, you were asking me what was wrong. And I told you that it was the anniversary of the day my parents left and never came back."

"Oh yeah.. Yeah now I remember!" He smiled and resituated his legs to get comfortable.

"Well later on that day I became fed up thinking about my parents all the time. So, I put all my parent's stuff up in the attic and when I put the box up on the shelf…I found something." Arnold crawled around Gerald to get to his bag and reached for his father's journal out of it. Arnold brushed off the journal and he opened it.

"This was what I found. It's my father's Journal and since grandpa would always read me stories, I decided to let him read it to me. I found out so much stuff about my parents. It was amazing! After he finished reading it I was sitting on my stoop and…I found this…this map." He opened the journal and flipped to the end of it and unstuck the page revealing the map. Gerald's eyes scanned the page with his mouth slightly ajar. He was letting Arnold's words soak in.

"My mother's name was Stella. She was a doctor and a botanist. My dad, whose name was Miles was a doctor too and he was a scientist. They helped lots of people. The day they left, they were headed here. They came here to San Lorenzo…You see, the jungle has villages, now and then some tourists, but there is also an ancient civilization that still exists somewhere in this jungle. They are known as the green-eyed people. The green-eyes are very secretive and cannot be seen in the light of day…or…well at least no has seen what they look like anyhow. In the journal, my dad explained how their civilization would be struck with deadly diseases like this one that was called the sleeping sickness. So my parents would travel all over Central America to find the cure and help them anyway they could. That's what they loved to do. They eventually were welcomed as members of their tribe…" Arnold would now and then turn a page gazing at his father's words in the journal smiling every know and then. "After helping the green eyes mom and dad had me. Shortly after I was born, I would get into the dangers around me and so my parents decided to move back to Hillwood. It wasn't long before my first birthday came up and we had a party and everything, but then my parent's left to go help the green-eyes again. I never heard from them again." Arnold 's mood suddenly changed. "They nor their plane was ever found…and I thought about this a while and wasn't sure what I could do. I feel like this was my opportunity to find my parents…or at least find out what could have happened to them." he said as his expression saddened and his spirit dampened along with it. He stayed silent for a few minutes. Gerald wasn't sure what to say. Everything that Arnold told him seem to all come together.

"Wait so that story you told. Martin and Sarah were actually Miles and Stella, your parents?! And the aunt and uncle were your grandparents? That would make you…Alfred." Gerald asked genuinely shocked. Arnold let out a soft laugh.

"Well yes. I changed the names because I knew the real bad guy La Sombra was out there. I just wanted to be careful, though I think the story, if he heard it, would be kind of obvious. I don't know." Gerald took a deep breath. Thoughts were still rushing through his head.

"Wow Arnold. I didn't realize. This explains everything! No wonder you wanted to win that essay contest so bad. So you're saying the reason why this whole time you've been acting so strange was because you had a map that could lead you to your parents for all these months? I don't know what to say man…It's brave to take on this task, but it's been nine years…The likelihood of them coming back isn't very good. I'd hate to see you get hurt, but I have to admit that this essay contest and this trip was uncanny. You are definitely a bold kid Arnold." Arnold smiled faintly and closed the journal as he placed it back into the bag.

"But there is a big problem…I promised Grandpa that no matter what, I wouldn't go alone…and...well-" After all the bizarre and crazy adventures they have had back in Hillwood, Gerald did not have a doubt in his mind nor his decision.

"It sounds pretty crazy. It sounds like that it could be one heck of an adventure, but I think after all this time you deserve some kind of answer, Arnold. You're my main man, You are true blue Arnold. You can count me in! What's the plan?" The two did their signature thumb shake and this made Arnold smile big. It made him happy that no matter how crazy things may become, it was nice to always have somebody there you could rely on.

"What would I do without you Gerald." Gerald smile and just shot a half-lid gaze at his best friend. Arnold thought for a moment and the look on his face showed he was pretty stumped about it all.

"I don't know yet exactly… It's not going to be easy. The tour guides do patrol now and then. I've been writing down some notes to help when I'm out in the jungle, like what berries to eat and stuff. We just have to be careful and make good time. We only have a four days to do this." Arnold repositioned himself and getting comfortable, but before he would go to sleep, he turned back over facing his best friend. "I forgot to ask you something…" Gerald stopped moving and looked at Arnold.

"What?"

"I have a small pack with a few things we might need like snacks, bottled water and other stuff like bandages and I think I have a flashlight too. Do you have anything to bring?" Gerald pulled out a small pack too with a water bottle attached to the side pocket. Arnold's smile had faded but reappeared again. He laid the pack on the edge of his bed.

"Carry only what you need. We need to keep it light as possible. The less we have, the easier the load." Arnold implied as he snuggled himself under his covers. Gerald placed the pack beside his larger bags. As soon as Gerald started climbing up, Harold and Sid both stirred.

"Sneak out where?" Harold said first. Arnold jumped up.

"Oh it's nothing." Sid knew Arnold was hiding something.

"Where are you sneaking off to?" Arnold and Gerald knew they were caught. Arnold sighed.

"Okay I guess I'll tell you. We have…ugh…a treasure map! It's supposed to be impossible to find, but I found an old map in my attic that'll lead us right to it. Please promise you won't say a word about it! Can you cover for us? It's very important that I find this treasure." Harold and Sid smiled.

"What's in it for us?" Harold said trying to get a bribe out of the two.

"Okay then. How about this. I have a couple of candy bars you both can have if you cover us." That was good enough for those two.

"Ok then. When can we have it?" Harold said a little excitedly. Arnold thought for a moment.

"I'll give them to you tomorrow."

"Alright then." Arnold kept his gaze on Harold.

"Remember, tell no one." Sid gave him the ok symbol with his hands. Which in Sid's mind, it means don't forget to tell Stinky too.

"I'm not sure when we have to sneak out but it'll have to be when everyone is asleep. Anyway we have time to figure out when exactly we must go. For now let's get some sleep. We'll need plenty of rest if we are going to pull this off. Goodnight Gerald." Gerald covered himself.

"Night man." the group soon eventually drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter Seven: A Day of Fun!

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter 7

The next morning, the jungle was lit by the rising sun. The morning dew covered much of the vegetation around them making everything glisten. Near the area consisting of the boys cabins, it was pretty noisy. Some of the boys were stirring, but only a few woke up. It would be several more minutes before everyone was finally up and about. One of the early birds, Arnold was organizing a few of his things and laying his pack off to the side. He would glance at the other two. Gerald was also fixing a small pack for himself and threw on one of his red sleeveless tops.

"You got your bag ready Gerald?" he whispered softly. Gerald replied with a smiling gaze and held the bag over the top bunk. Arnold grabbed the bag and placed it beside his on the floor.

Meanwhile in the girl's cabin, All the girls were already awake, fixing up their own little space in the cabins. In Olga's cabin, Helga was the last girls to wake up. The window let in the sun's light making her cringe from its brightness.

"Stupid light…ughh" She rubbed her eyes and the first thing she saw was none other than Olga's goofy smile. Olga drew closer.

"Wake up baby sister!" Her voice sounded soft, but to Helga it was the most annoying voice to ever enter her ears. She only replied with a grumble. The rest of her cabin were dressed and ready to take on today's endeavors.

Thirty minutes passed and the class was awaiting for announcements for today's events. As usual a peppy Mr. Simmons came out with his clipboard and showing off a huge smile to his class who are growing impatient.

"Good morning class! I hope you all slept well last night! It sure was humid though… " He began to mumble a little bit.

"Get on with it Simmons…" Helga's grouchy voice stopped Mr. Simmons mumbles.

"Anyway, our plans for today do consist of exploring the jungle some more, but first we have an unexpected surprise! It seems that our tour guide has invited us to visit the special markets in a small town not far from here. So for the first few hours we'll go do some souvenir shopping. What do you say?!" The class seemed interested, but didn't respond to Mr. Simmons.

"Ok then. Make sure you have some money if you find something you like." As he said that a few decided to go grab some change they had with them.

"I hope they have food I'm sooo hungry!" Harold complained to Sid and Stinky.

"I wonder if they have any lemon puddin' " He said with a dreamy look on his face.

Sid ran ahead, "I wonder if they have any awesome tribe masks. Maybe we can put them on and scare all he girls straight out of their hut!…"

Harold and Stinky were immediately interested and cackled at each other, "Let's do it!"

They laughed as they went to grab their money.

The class boarded the bus and were ready to go. Most of the was class acting up as usual. Arnold and Gerald grabbed a seat toward the front. With the seats around them empty, Arnold turned to Gerald.

"Okay, I've been thinking about it all morning. I've waited this long already so I can learn as much as I can about the rainforest, like the fruit we can eat. Some of the plants to stay away from.."

Gerald raised one of his eyebrows, "You aren't prepared at all are you." Arnold retorted with only a smile.

"This is our second day in the Jungle and since everyone seems settled in, I plan on going…tonight. I do have my watch with new batteries and everything and the time is right on it. I think about Three in the morning we need to move." Gerald didn't seem very convinced, but knowing his closest friend it seems like nothing could change his mind.

"Tonight?! And at three in the morning? That's really early Arnold…" Gerald said trying to see if they could add an hour or two.

"I know, but by then I'm positive everyone will be asleep." Arnold turned his gaze out the window seeing some of the sights.

"It's settled then." The boys sat there waiting patiently until that time.

The bus screeched to a halt on the side of a small grassy strip. Some of the fourth graders scurried to a window to look out. This strip contained an abundant of vendors. There was the smokey smell of fish and a small dusty haze over the entire market. Many native people were tending to their archaic looking cloth tents with much hustle and bustle. Mr. Simmons addressed the class.

"Okay. Everyone stay in a group of four and don't go too far. Stay where I can see you. Our group will see about 6 vendors at a time. Keep any eye out for me standing and waving my clipboard. We will all meet back here at the bus in a couple of hours. Go have fun!" He said cheerfully. The class appeared ecstatic and started to group together.

The class exited the bus and ran toward the first couple of vendors. The tour guide and his two right hand men were right behind them.

"Slow down everyone!" Mr. Simmons waved frantically as Principal Warts followed suit. Fernando and his two men Francisco and Tiotom also followed the eager class.

"I have an idea What if someone around here knows them?" Arnold said rather excited.

"Who? Your parents?" Gerald asked as he leaned in.

"Yeah...I'm sure they might have visited here often to find more food and supplies…" Gerald took a gander at Arnold.

"Good point. What did they look like?" Arnold pondered a moment.

"My dad's name was Miles, and my mom's was Stella. Dad's really tall with short blonde hair. He looked like a strong kind of guy. Mom was shorter with light brown shoulder length hair. She normally liked to where a light green shirt a a long green dress." Gerald let that all soak in.

"R-right. Got it."

"Oh and Gerald? Since this is a secret, don't mention that they are my parents. More like you are wanting to meet a hero or like you saw them on TV and admired them or something." Gerald was moved by Arnold's wit about the situation.

"Okay." The two split up, only for a little bit to gather any tools and info they could. Meanwhile the rest of the class seemed to be enjoying looking at all the vendor's souvenirs and replicas of ancient artifacts.

"This dress is absolutely gorgeous! It is so perfect! I'll take this." Rhonda said handing out some money. The woman gladly accepted and offered her more accessories to go with it. Rhonda eagerly listened to her offer and purchased the accessories too. Nadine was looking into the merchant's booth across from the wardrobe booth. It was abundant in bug pendants and other sea animal bracelets and necklaces. The two quickly met up. Rhonda was carrying a few bags, while Nadine only had one. The girls showed off their souvenirs to each other.

Further down, Phoebe took a liking to the jewelry and did acquire a beautiful star pendant. Helga didn't seem all that interested in buying anything, but still enjoyed what the vendors market had to offer. Most of the boys were eager to try out some of the food, including Harold who was one of the first to buy some.

"This is so goood!" He said munching on a fishy delicacy. Sid on the other hand also enjoy some small fried fish. Stinky didn't seem all that happy. His search for lemon pudding came out empty.

"Look at this Arnold…" Gerald said pointing out a jungle themed booth. The two headed over there to see if they had anything that would help them on their secret expedition. The boys were in luck. They obtained a current map, a small pair of cheap binoculars, and a rope. Out of the blue, Arnold spotted what looked like a wooden trinket with a familiar symbol. It resembled an eye with a green colored Iris, although the was at half gaze.

"Excuse me, can I have a look at that?" The man hesitated, but seeing the glow in the boy's eye prompted him to let him at least look at it.

"Gerald…this…this looks like an amulet from the green-eyed people…"

"In fact it is. I found it a couple years ago when I visited a small village not far from here. It was laying on the ground near a hut that seemed to be abandoned." Arnold reached into his pocket.

"Is there anyway I could buy that from you? I'll give you the rest of the money that I have." The guy seemed a little interested.

"That's quite a rare artifact from the green-eyes themselves, I'm afraid that might not be enough." Arnold dug into his pockets more. On Cue Gerald held out more money, the rest of what he had.

"Don't worry man I'll spot ya." Arnold smiled.

"Thanks." The guy still hesitated, but seeing someone so interested In getting it, he was willing to part with it.

"Wow, I can't believe I found something like this. This is so cool!" He put the amulet around his neck and looked at it.

"I promise I'll take good care of it." The old man smiled.

"Ye better." The two looked at each other and smiled.

An hour passed and the class met up in a bigger clearing with small tables and a tiki-themed bar. Mr. Simmons was showing signs of fatigue due to the class's rambunctious behavior.

"O-o-okay class. I think it's time we sat down for a short lunch and bathroom break." Principal Wartz eyed the restrooms and a couple of the boys followed suit. Some of the girls also took the opportunity to wash up for lunch. The class didn't have a lot of table room, but they did have a tree implanted in a round cemented display. Beside that there was a big fountain with clear water spitting out of what looked like a replica of an ancient Mayan temple. It was surrounded by concrete blocks conveniently short enough for the kids to sit on.

Fernando and his two tour guide helpers sat there and ate their lunch. Arnold stared at Fernando. Something about him seemed kind of familiar. Arnold left his seat and sat by Fernando.

"Hey…Mr. Fernando? Is it ok if I sit here? I have a couple questions. Do you live here? How long have you been here?" He said taking a bite of his food.

Fernando chuckled and gave him a smile. "Why of course young…Arnold was it?" Arnold nodded a yes.

"I've lived here all my life. I was an anthropologist for a long time, but I wanted to…well…settle down a while and so I became a tour guide. I've been on many expeditions!" He said hesitantly. A few other classmates of Arnold joined him in learning more about Fernando's life in Central America.

"Where is your house? Is it in the jungle?" Sid asked. Harold also spit out a question.

"Have you ever been chased by jungle animals?!"

Fernando chuckled, "My house is in fact in the Jungle and no I have not. Though you can be if you are not careful."

"Yeah yeah…" He laughed off The guide's warning.

"I had a partner with me till he went off on his own adventures. I haven't seen nor have I heard from him in a long time." His heavy accent made it hard to understand him. Arnold's curiosity grew.

"What was your partners name?" Fernando spent a few moments to think, "His name was-" He was interrupted by screams. Their gazes turned to a familiar boy with glasses and a bowl shaped hair cut.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Curly laughed maniacally while wearing a tribal mask. He also had on a vibrant pancho and he was holding a fresh fish. In hot pursuit of this crazy boy were 3 merchants desperately trying to get their merchandise back. After a few moments Fernando continued to tell the kids more about his life.

"I can't seem to recall his name, anyway…" Fernando looked back at Arnold and his gaze immediately turned to the trinket around his neck.

"That's an interesting amulet you have there.." Arnold looked down, "Oh, I found this in one of the tents over there."

"Why yes, I studied an old civilization that had architecture like that here. Though I could never catch-well see them." Something about Fernando just said threw off Arnold, but he decided to keep his silence. Before their guide could further enlighten them of the old world culture around them, Mr. Simmons decided it was best if they keep moving if they want to stay on schedule.

"My class, please finish your meals quickly so we may get back to exploring some of the vendors on the east strip before we head back. When we get back to our campsite, we have another exciting excursion to see some old ruins from an unknown civilization. Some believe it could be the Mayans-" Harold complained at his teacher's ramblings

"Okay okay…" he finished the last half of his sandwich and got up to get a drink.

The class gathered around the fountain. After Mr. Simmons counted the students, they proceeded to explore the rest of the market.

Late afternoon was fast approaching and the class boarded the bus and left the marketplace to head back to their camp.

Gerald and Arnold sat in the back as the rest of the class were showing off their souvenirs.

"So tonight's the night huh Arnold." Gerald quietly remarked. Arnold nodded in agreement. The two smiled and looked ahead at their classmates acting like their usual selves.


	8. Chapter Eight: Mission Run Away!

**Hey Arnold The Jungle Movie: Quest of the Heart**

Chapter 8

As the day progressed, they explored old temples until they came upon an interesting type of temple. It's architecture resembled that of a football shaped origin. A few of the students examined it until one familiar southern boy spoke up.

"Hey. I reckon it looks a lot like…" He turns to face Arnold. Harold and Sid also peered back at their classmate.

"Hey yeah it does!" Harold showed that he's smarter than he looks. Sid peered back at the temple's design and Arnold.

"Boy Howdy Arnold. How come it looks like you but you've never even been here before?" He asked. Arnold barely kept his composure.

"Oh! Ummm I have no idea." Gerald looked at him smiling and tries to break Arnold's sudden growing tension.

"Looks like you are famous here too! Hahaha!" Arnold started laughing too.

"It's probably just a coincidence…" He added. The kids didn't feel any creeps of suspicion and continued to look at the rest of the architecture. Even though the students were extremely clueless, Arnold wasn't sure why the architecture resembled him but he did know exactly who this temple belonged to, The Green-Eyes.

Phoebe and Helga observed another symbol resembling Arnold. Helga was curious about it, but didn't bother asking Phoebe what she thought of it. Phoebe on the other hand distinctly recognized the style and make of the architecture. She pulled a small book titled _Guide to the Central American Civilizations. _

"Phoebs…you actually packed a book on a hiking trip?" Phoebe was delighted.

"Why yes…I find culture here fascinating!" She said without hesitation and turned the pages.

"Here we go. This picture is a spitting image of the one shown here in this book." some of the students peered into the book to see the picture for themselves.

"This ancient temple dates back hundreds or possibly thousands of years. These architectures are temples and places of worship of one of the most elusive tribes in the Americas. These archaic temples belong to the original inhabitant of San Lorenzo known as…The Green-Eyed People. How riveting!" she said examining on of the large ancient carvings.

Majority of the kids in the class stopped and thought. A few of them stared back at Arnold. It seems Harold was the only one to answer.

"Hey, I think I have heard of those guys before…" Sid being his usual self didn't keep his silence for long.

"Blue-eyes? Green-eyes? What's next…The Brown-eyed people?" Some of the class chuckled.

"Harold's right! I recall your story around the campfire the night before contained a similar tribe called the Blue-eyes. Is it possible that your story had some truth to it and the blue-eyes were derived or maybe even the actual Green-eyes?" Arnold shrugged and managed to pull off a convincing look.

"It was from an old book I found in my attic." Phoebe seemed puzzled.

"What's the book called? I would love to take a look at it!" Arnold's eyes widened and had to think up a quick excuse, "Well it…It's back at home…" he started becoming a tad nervous. Just as Phoebe was about to continue interrogating Arnold their tour guide clapped to get the classes attention.

"Alright children, let's move on to the last of our adventures for today, The volcano Turrialba!" He points through some brush and far in the distance stood the volcano. The juveniles stared in silence.

"It's not going to explode is it?" Sid said unsure of his safety. The guide reassured him it wouldn't.

"I hope not…" Gerald added on one last remark. The kids continued to gaze up at the smoking mountain. Sid turned around and saw a familiar architecture in the distance.

"Woah, check it out you guys!" He pointed out the temple's location.

"what's over there?" Stinky remarks. Fernando assured they wouldn't be going anywhere near there, at least that was not planned.

"I'm afraid it's a ways to get there. It's another one of those temples we stopped by." Fernando gathered the children in front of him.

"I'm afraid we are out of time, so that's all we are going cover for today, the sun will start to set real soon and it can be dangerous after dark." some of the kids gulped at the threat the rainforest around them poses and started to huddle together, just in case.

Back at the camp, the fifth graders joined in a big game of kickball to pass the time. Arnold and Gerald sat on and drank some water they had packed. Helga tricked her friends into thinking she was in her hut, but instead she was hiding in the bushes listening to Arnold and Gerald's conversation.

"Remember, I'll set my watch and when I wake you up, we'll move out. I have the map that'll hopefully lead us right to them. But we have to move quickly as soon as we are out of sight. I just hope Mr. Simmons won't freak out…" Gerald gave Arnold a half-lid smile.

"Don't worry man. We'll pull it off, just like we did with the FTI." The two do their signature thumb shake.

Helga sinks down into the bushes and crawls away. She hides alone in the brush away from everyone.

"Oh Arnold, my love. I dare not let you trod alone with your best friend. I shall follow thee into the abyss awaiting the time I can finally confess my love to you and dare not take it back. I, your secret admirer will follow you unto the ends of the Earth to help you in your search . Ohohoh!" She then hears a familiar annoying wheezing coming from the bush beside her. She instinctively let out a low growl before she did the ol' face cruncher straight into Brainy's face. She stuffed her locket back into her white shirt under her pink sleeveless shirt and headed in another direction to get around Arnold and Gerald.

It wasn't long before the rain forest was engulfed in twilight. The class headed to their huts for another hot and humid night in the Jungle.

Gerald and Arnold were first to fall asleep. Arnold had his watch set ready to beep when it reached exactly three o' clock. As the hours ticked by, even Fernando and his men turned in as well.

"Beep beep beep!" cried Arnold's watch. He quickly turned it off. The two of the troublemakers were deep in his slumber, but so was Gerald. Arnold checked his small compact backpack and put it aside. He slowly stretched putting on the rest of his clothes.

He slowly reached up and shook Gerald awake.

"Gerald." He said almost silently. It took a minute for Gerald to wake up. He moved sluggishly as he slowly crept down from the top bunk, only to slip and fall. Arnold barely caught him before he hit the floor. Gerald quickly showed him a nervous smile. Arnold only met it with a slightly annoyed glare.

They successfully sneak out of bed and grabbed a hold of their packs and moved the curtain. Arnold had left behind they two candy bars as they promised on the bottom bed. It was almost pitch black but the moon provided enough light to see an overgrown old path. The boys tiptoed out of camp. The only one who noticed was Helga. She left a note for Phoebe, hoping her best friend could understand. She also had a small satchel filled with a few supplies. Once the two were out of sight for a minute or two she slipped out as well. Arnold and Gerald were a few hundred feet away from camp when they finally pulled out the journal to look at the map.

"We got a ways to go Gerald. There is a path up ahead the map says. Here we go." The itchy thought of going out alone made them a little more nervous than they anticipated. Helga followed suit managing to sneak out with them without being detected.

As they night pushed on, The two boys were almost clinged together. The call of the insects and constant movement in the trees left them on edge. Reacting to every little thing they heard.

"The sun is rising, we've been going for 2 hours. Can we take a short nap or something?" Arnold sighed, "We need to keep going. Just a little while longer." Gerald reluctantly agreed and the longer they walked the slower they got.

Morning approached fast as the sun rose over the glistening wet leaves of the San Lorenzo jungle. Three more hours passed before anyone budged. Mr. Simmons was the first one up. He blew his whistle as he brought some more stocked up piles of wood to get a fire going.

"Wake up class! It's time for some delicious pancakes!" He had a couple boxes of pancake mix and a cast iron skillet.

"Yay food!" Harold spat as he ran out of his hut. Sid followed behind him.

"I'm starving." He grabbed a paper plate their teacher had placed on one of the logs that lays vertical. Once the rest of his students gathered, he noticed three of them were missing.

"Has anyone seen Arnold or Gerald? It seems Helga's not here either." Phoebe seemed fairly nervous and tried to regain her composure.

"Helga left the hut saying…that...she went for a short walk.." Mr. Simmons let out a huge sigh, "Oh dear...what about the other two. Harold and Sid told Stinky where Arnold and Gerald were.

"Oh they...went for a walk too." Stinky unwittingly added to his answer.

"It's not like they snuck out last night going on a treasure hunt or nothin'!" Sid an Harold bellowed.

"Stinky!"

"Whoops"

"What?! Oh, my word! Helga must have gone with them too…" Mr. Simmons was on the brink of going into full panic mode. The class mumbled to themselves wondering if it was true.

They decided to wait to see if they'd come back, but as time passed, there was still no sign of the missing trio. Dark foreboding clouds gathered over the rain forest. The ear piercing thunder roared, scaring much of the children.

"Oh dear! It looks like we need to wait out the storm in our cabins. Everyone go back to your huts!" The class retreated to their huts. When the storm passed about an hour later it went from a heavy storm to overcast. Mr. Simmons's suspicions of what happened to the three became clear. They did indeed ran off.

"Mr. Fernando! I'm afraid three of our students have vanished! I'm sorry to put a halt on our trip but we have to find them right away." He said as his panic mode started to set in. The tour guide assured the frantic teacher there was nothing to worry about.

"Mr. Simmons, I assure you. I'll just sent out some of my men to retrieve your students. They know a lot about this part of the jungle. No need to stop the trip. They will find them and bring them back very quickly." Mr. Simmons didn't feel very comfortable with the thought, but felt at ease that he will bring his beloved students back. Fernando immediately sent out two men into the direction of the old winding path. The two hopped on none of the only old four wheelers they had.

"The kid we need got out, not exactly what we planned, but it can still work. Me and the other men can handle these kids. Now hurry up and find them or I'll have your heads" he huffed in silence making sure not a word was hear by the unsuspecting class. He put his fake smile back on and went back to continue rounding up the class.

"Well if you say so Mr. Fernando. Maybe we can keep an eye out when we are on the boat ride.?" Fernando seemed unusually very happy today.

"Yes, as you can see plenty of small open areas. Most people, if lost, would follow the river. Now where was I?"

"Oh yes, Today we get to go on a tour on the channel of the river. " He exclaimed. He rushed the kids to the boat ready to carry out his devious plans.

Meanwhile, Arnold and Gerald were still roaming along the path. Every now and then they would come across

"Arnold I'm tired. My feet are killing me. And look at the ground. We've been going in circles for half an hour! All we found was those old temples." They stopped in their tracks. A small crinkle and crack was heard behind them. They looked back and only saw a small leaf moving. They tried looking closer but was only met by a blur. The only thing their eyes were able to catch was a bracelet made of leaves.

"Was…was that a…W-Wait! Come back!" Arnold spat, only to be met by the sounds of whatever startled them travel further until it was quickly out of sight. Gerald leaned against a tree to rest for just a second.

"What was THAT?" He said still feeling shivers up his spine. Arnold sighed in disappointment.

"It looked like a person, but I couldn't see him clearly…" The weary boys sat on a stump to take a few minute break and to look at the map closely. A few minutes pass by and as they stood up, another rustle in the bushes in front of them. The rustle in the bushes grew louder and louder. Two of the men were Fernando's coworkers. It looks like Arnold and Gerald were busted.

"Did you kids lose your way?" the tall and lanky Feliciano said playfully. Arnold and Gerald watched as their masks fell and both of the men's glare turned cold.

"Oh you are one of the tour guide helpers…how did you find us?" The men's menacing glares reached the two.

"A jungle is too dangerous for a couple of little kids like you…" The husky Tiotom said playfully.

"It's about time we go forth with our plan don't you think Tiotom?" He laughed as he pulled Helga out of the bushes. Arnold's eyes blew up.

"What? Helga? What are you doing here?" The two boys were completely confused.

"We thought we'd go for a hike, what's it look like Football head?! These men are no 'friends' they are-"

"Quiet little girl, or I'll shut you up myself. We are going back to camp and you two are coming with us."

Arnold knew something wasn't right and took a step back.

"No. I can't. There is something I need to find." Feliciano and Tiotom immediately grabbed for Arnold. He was able to dodge but only by an inch.

Gerald grabbed a huge rock and chucked it at Feliciano. His action had freed Helga for a millisecond causing her to run and fall forward, free of Tiotom's grasp. Arnold picked up Helga by her arm and the trio began to run as fast as they could through the thick overgrowth of trees and shrubbery. With the two men hot on their heels they run into a huge cavern small enough to hide in, narrowly escaping Fernando's determined men.

After the men were gone for a few minutes the three felt safer to whisper.

"Are the gone Arnold?" Gerald said, first to speak. Arnold still catching his breath listened and could not hear any foot steps. Arnold took one more deep breath before answering the question.

"I-I think so.." Helga wiped her brow.

"Criminy that was close…." The boys decided to turn their attentions to the stowaway. Helga furrowed her brow.

"What?" Arnold showed her a slightly shocked expression.

"How come you are way out here? Why were you following us?!" He whispered loudly. Helga took a second to think and shrugged.

"Ughhh well. I dropped something on one of the paths we traveled on...and...I didn't find it so I saw you two wondering-and-" Gerald and Arnold didn't really buy the lame excuse Helga gave them.

"Oh come on Helga what's the real reason? How could we believe you followed us this long without saying something in the very beginning?" Helga's anger was already showing.

"How was I suppose to know about your little adventure was going to be this far away from camp!?" Her eyes widened. The boys were obviously confused. Helga could only sigh in defeat.

"Okay fine you morons. I heard about your little adventure and the whole jungle thing is really getting boring, especially being stuck with a bunch of morons, besides Phoebe of course." Arnold still wasn't convinced, but didn't have a choice since they was already way too far from camp.

"What ever you say Helga…Did anyone else come with you?" his asked Helga.

"Hmm...no not really. Not that I know of." Arnold was finally able to believe her. _'Maybe it's time we took another short break…' _the blonde preteen thought as he relaxed every bone in his body.

"Resting a bit sounds good…I need something to eat…" Gerald said reading Arnold's body language.

Helga sat down and grabbed one of her candy bars. Gerald and Arnold did the same. Helga took a bite and turned toward Arnold.

"So football head, What are you and tall hair boy up to? Looking for some dumb treasure or something?" Arnold only shot a glare at her.

"Something like that.." Gerald knew Arnold probably wanted to keep it secret, so he kept his silence.

"Well…? What is it?" She said prying into another conversation.

"I can't tell you everything. All that's important is to find the answer." Helga rolled her eyes.

"To what…?" Arnold kept his silence for a moment.

"Yeah. I know what you are looking for, but where ARE we headed to exactly..?" Gerald asked also confused on where their football-headed friend was taking them. Arnold didn't really think through what he needed to do first. Then an interesting thought came to him.

"We need to find where they reside. And I think I know the people I need to find." Helga thought it through carefully.

"And who's that Hair boy?" She scowled. Arnold took a few sips of his water and looked back at Helga and Gerald.

"The Green-Eyes."


End file.
